TheWeekendSlice wrote on 2021-08-16, 10:17:

I have a Yamaha 744 - from Phil's Computer Lab review I know that this is DOS compatible

Note that YMF7x4 cards support A3D 1.0 through Sensaura. It sounds quite nice in Unreal Tournament and Thief Gold.

However, I was unable to get my YMF744 to work with games that have explicit A3D 2.0 requirements such as Half-Life and Quake 3. Not sure if a Vortex1 card would behave differently there.

TheWeekendSlice wrote on 2021-08-16, 10:17:

Hi guys, […]
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Hi guys,

So I'm putting together some Windows 98 PCs and I am looking for some info on soundcards.

I have a Yamaha 744 - from Phil's Computer Lab review I know that this is DOS compatible
I have an ESS Solo 1 - again, Phil said that it's DOS compatible
I have a Soundblaster Live! on the way
and
I have an Aureal Vortex AU8820B2 card. From what I gathered online this is the Vortex 1 chip.

I'd kind of like to try out A3D compatible games as I've never had the chance when the Vortex was new. The thing is I don't know if the Vortex 1 is good enough for games like Half-Life that support A3D or if using the Soundblaster Live! with EAX in Half-Life would be better.

I've always heard about how amazing A3D was and some say it was actually better than EAX.

Is the Vortex 1 a decent option for A3D games?
Which out of the above cards is best for Windows 98 games? (so not asking about DOS).
Is there a significant difference between the Vortex 1 and the Vortex 2?

Thanks in advance for reading and replying.

P.S. I hope to soon have an ISA soundcard for DOS games. I have a PC with ISA.

The Aureal Vortex 1 is a decent sound card, but it has nothing special going for it. It doesn't support the A3D 2.0 API, which is in a completely different league compared to A3D 1.0.
Also, in Half Life, EAX is much better IMO, so a SB Live will sound better even when compared to an Aureal Vortex 2.
The Yamaha YMF 7x4 is a great all-rounder card, it supports EAX 1.0 and A3D 1.0 + it has excellent DOS compatibility, particularly when used with a SB Link cable, however it's also great with the DSDMA TSR. It also has integrated OPL3 FM synthesis, so music in old games will sound just like it's meant to. 😀

bloodem wrote on 2021-08-16, 10:32:

Also, in Half Life, EAX is much better IMO, so a SB Live will sound better even when compared to an Aureal Vortex 2.

bloodem, in your opinion what games A3D Aureal Vortex 2 sounds excellent (I mean maybe the highest level that can be achieved) in?
I liked how A3D sounded in Half-Life, Unreal and System Shock 2 but I didn't have a chance to compare A3D with EAX.

For me, the A3D 2.0 implementation in Quake 3 is absolutely amazing. I will never forget how breathtaking it sounded to me when I first heard it at a (very rich) friend's house in the year 2000.
Unfortunately, newer Quake 3 patches have removed the A3D support, so you need the original game (or an older patch version) in order to enjoy A3D in all its glory.

Rune, Unreal Tournament also have very good implementations of the A3D 2.0 API.

The thing to remember with A3D, is that it sounds best with headphones, otherwise you don't get the same "3D" feeling.
Especially in FPS games like Quake 3 / Unreal Tournament, A3D 2.0 can give you a real advantage as a player, you can actually hear where your opponents are / where they're coming from.

bloodem wrote on 2021-08-16, 14:12:

For me, the A3D 2.0 implementation in Quake 3 is absolutely amazing. I will never forget how breathtaking it sounded to me when […]
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For me, the A3D 2.0 implementation in Quake 3 is absolutely amazing. I will never forget how breathtaking it sounded to me when I first heard it at a (very rich) friend's house in the year 2000.
Unfortunately, newer Quake 3 patches have removed the A3D support, so you need the original game (or an older patch version) in order to enjoy A3D in all its glory.

Rune, Unreal Tournament also have very good implementations of the A3D 2.0 API.

The thing to remember with A3D, is that it sounds best with headphones, otherwise you don't get the same "3D" feeling.
Especially in FPS games like Quake 3 / Unreal Tournament, A3D 2.0 can give you a real advantage as a player, you can actually hear where your opponents are / where they're coming from.

Thanks!